If one partner has realized that they are ready to move on from the relationship, and the other is trying to use marriage counseling as a ploy to keep them by their side there's no reason for them to actively participate in the counseling.

For marriage counseling to work, both parties need to be emotionally invested and willing to do the work.

4. Because it's expensive

For many couples in a marriage who are struggling, finances can become a real bone of contention.

Money is a major source of stress in even the best marriages, so add it to one that is suffering and it's a bad combination.

The reason why marriage counseling fails is often because the high cost of the treatment itself can make matters worse.

If you can't get past the cost, you can't do real work.

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5. Because there's just not enough time or direction

Unlike regular therapy, people enter into couples counseling with clear goals and expectations.

But that's not how therapy works.

It's great to have guidelines and goals, but you've also got to allow time and space for the process to really work.